All our hard work cannot do a thing here. We accept it. Our apologies!

Image source: trak.in

On one of my client servicing long road trips, I stopped over at a dhaba along the highway. Three hours of driving had numbed the body and the stomach was crying out for food. Anil, the twelve year old boy was at my window before I could step out of the car.

"Kya khana hai saahab. Sub kuchh ekdum fresh hai. First class!", (What do you want to eat? Everything is freshly cooked. Its first class) he said, with an ear to ear innocent smile. I ordered an aloo parantha and some dahi. It was served piping hot and fresh as promised in five minutes. As I lazily ate, soaking in the overcast weather and the green views all around, I found out that Anil was was an orphan. He had found a good man in the dhaba owner and had to do most of the work there apart from the cooking. His monthly wage was all of six hundred rupees and there were two free meals thrown in everyday. Education, a career and a good life were concepts to him as distant as the horizon. His, deep, cold eyes told me that such things were written off by him years ago.

It was his turn to ask me innocently what I did. I told him I sold houses.
"So you build them as well?", he asked me in polite, childlike Hindi.
"No I work for a company that builds them", I replied after downing another mouthful of the divine parantha.
"Is this car yours? You must be rich. And you must have a beautiful house. I have no home, no one and I never will.", he said, reflection oozing out of his eyes.
"The car belongs to the company, dost and you will have a nice home and a family one day.", I assured him, not knowing what I was saying.
He laughed. I could not. I paid up quickly and left. Images of my daughter enjoying the air conditioning at home, playing with her barbies, disconnected from such harsh realities crept up my mind. Tears in my eyes followed.

I went on to my destination and closed a sale. But there was no happiness. We always have a choice. Sadly, that sounds good only in superhero movies.

I pray that my eyes be covered. Don't show me all this anymore. I know that is being selfish. But I am weaker than I thought. What a pity Anil. You make me cry. Shine on you crazy diamond! Godspeed.